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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29438628">A Crustacean's Concern</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanEpacaris/pseuds/DanEpacaris'>DanEpacaris</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Christmas Sea Creature Crack [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(sort of?), Crack, Fluff, Hermit Crab!Levi, Implied Mpreg, M/M, Many scallops are hermaphrodites, Scallop!Eren, Smut, kind of, this is the worst one yet</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 17:08:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,599</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29438628</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanEpacaris/pseuds/DanEpacaris</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Your favourite sea creatures are back and, er, intimate.</p><p>Happy Valentine's Day!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Levi Ackerman/Eren Yeager</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Christmas Sea Creature Crack [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1579921</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Crustacean's Concern</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Well... you asked for it.</p><p>Enjoy &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sunbeams filtered through the azure sea as a small crustacean awoke and looked at his lover. They were an unlikely couple but had both been expelled from the homes to which they were meant to belong and so had found solace in each other.</p><p><br/>
He gently lifted himself from their nest and steadied his shell above him, making sure not to disturb Eren from his sleep. He had seemed more tired than usual recently, and so Levi resolved to let him rest before leaving the bedroom to tidy their garden.</p><p><br/>
It was almost midday by the time the hermit crab scampered back inside to find that Eren wasn’t in the general living area. He progressed to the bedroom and found the scallop still sound asleep.</p><p><br/>
“Eren,” Levi said quietly, not wanting to spook him. “Eren, it’s lunch time.”</p><p><br/>
The scallop stirred and opened his shell slightly to look up at Levi. “Hmm?”</p><p><br/>
“It’s time to eat,” Levi pressed, helping Eren up with the soft nudge of a claw. Eren slowly pushed himself outside and to his favourite feeding spot, shadowed by an anxious Levi. As he ate his fill of krill, Levi planted himself firmly next to him like a guard dog, tasting the air for any sign of danger.</p><p><br/>
Eyes bore heavily into the crab, analysing him before speaking. “Is something wrong? You’ve been pretty on-edge recently.” Levi softened his stance a bit and followed Eren who was now slowly propelling himself back to their dwelling.</p><p><br/>
“I was thinking of asking you the same thing…” He looked down at the sand, carefully planning his words before speaking. “Are you alright, Eren? You’ve been really lethargic lately and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t worry me. Is it something to do with how pink you are?”</p><p><br/>
Eren stopped moving and sluggishly turned around to meet Levi’s eyes, blushing.</p><p><br/>
“Oh, I, er,” he stammered. “I’d hoped you hadn’t noticed,” he said sheepishly. “It’s a little embarrassing.” He resumed his movement back to the house and Levi scrabbled to walk by his side.</p><p><br/>
“You know that no matter what it is I’ll be here for you, right?” Truth be told, Levi hadn’t even entertained the idea that Eren might be hiding something from him. They had always been honest with each other, sometimes even too honest as Eren would exasperatedly tell him when he refused to accept the concept of white lies.</p><p><br/>
“I’ll show you when we get home,” replied Eren. “It’s not safe out here.”</p><p><br/>
Once the two had secured themselves in their small but comfortable cave, Eren placed himself on the largest rock they used as furniture, nestling in the soft seaweed comforter right next to their precious pearl. He slowly widened his shell until his whole body was visible, showing it to have a wash of coral all over, a sharp contrast to his usual pale skin.</p><p><br/>
He gestured to a particular part of his body where the colour was more concentrated. “This is the reason I’m a bit… different.” He blushed, avoiding eye contact with Levi.</p><p><br/>
“What is it?” the crab demanded, his voice shaken with worry at the idea that an infection had taken hold of his partner’s body and was running through his veins, strong enough to alter his complexion and sap the life out of him, rendering him exhausted. “Are you sick?”</p><p><br/>
“Not quite,” Eren replied, still not meeting Levi’s gaze. “Those are eggs.”</p><p><br/>
Silence. Eren instinctively began closing his shell up to protect him as his discomfort grew.</p><p><br/>
“Are they hurting you?” Levi finally asked.</p><p><br/>
“They’re not painful,” Eren assured him. “They just take a lot of my energy to make and keep healthy.” He studied Levi’s face carefully for a reaction. “Not that I made them on purpose,” he blurted out suddenly, concerned that Levi might think he was asking for more when the crab may not be ready yet.</p><p><br/>
“I see.”</p><p><br/>
Silence rang again, slowly becoming suffocating and Eren could have sworn he was beginning to choke until a claw gently stroked along the opening of his shell. It was something Levi had never done before but Eren welcomed the soothing touch. The other claw moved to hold Eren’s shell in place whilst he continued his attentions.</p><p><br/>
“Is this okay?” Levi whispered, light hesitation lingering in his voice.</p><p><br/>
“Yeah,” Eren breathed. “It’s nice.” He widened his shell once again, so the crustaceans had a clearer view of each other.</p><p><br/>
“That’s right, let me see you.” Levi murmured words of encouragement, his voice becoming huskier as he began to carefully rock Eren back and forth. It was a foreign sensation but strangely intimate. The scallop relaxed into the movement, humming at a scent radiating off of Levi that he had never noticed before. He may have been inexperienced, but the scent was unmistakable.</p><p><br/>
Arousal.</p><p><br/>
Eren realised Levi's odd actions must be a hermit crab mating ritual. All his worries left him as he came to the conclusion that Levi was not freaked out or concerned that Eren had produced eggs. Not only did he not mind, he wanted to do something about them.</p><p><br/>
Spurred on by this realisation, Eren opened his shell completely, blushing as Levi’s eyes raked over him as if for the first time.</p><p><br/>
“You’re so beautiful.” Levi continued to brush his claw against the soft rose of Eren’s shell, occasionally catching one of his short tentacles and making him shiver.</p><p><br/>
“Do you want this?”</p><p><br/>
In response Eren moved to be closer to the edge of his casing, reaching out to make contact with the crab.</p><p><br/>
“More than anything.”</p><p><br/>
Levi repositioned his claws so that one was placed gently on Eren’s waist while he used the other to steady himself on the smooth rock below them.</p><p><br/>
All one hundred of Eren’s jade eyes slipped shut as Levi flicked his tongue over soft pink skin. He sang in pleasure and Levi couldn’t help but think back to when they first met as fate had pulled them together with Eren’s enchanting voice calling out to Levi’s soul.</p><p><br/>
He was lured back to reality by a needy Eren pawing at him for more, flustered and dishevelled yet impossibly gorgeous as he silently begged for more.</p><p><br/>
“Beautiful,” Levi breathed.</p><p><br/>
Levi gently nipped at Eren’s flushed flesh with a steady claw, earning a shiver from his lover. A brief thought fluttered through his mind, whispering through the ever-rising haziness to wonder if anything could come from the two mating. They were entirely devoted to one another, their love so strong that Levi had always felt they could overcome anything together. But in this case, biology itself was against them.</p><p><br/>
Worry was soon melted by the feeling of feverish rutting against his body as Eren grew ever more desperate for touch, craving more of the electricity that was rushing through his veins.</p><p><br/>
Levi pressed his chest to Eren’s body, his pulse quickening as the scallop shuddered against him, hot white flames licking at the both of them as they chased release in each other’s arms.</p><p><br/>
“Levi!” Eren cried, trembling in ecstasy, his mind far too ensnared in the grips of pleasure to even notice the shower of eggs that rained onto the woven sea grass below them. Levi finished soon after, jittering to a halt and gazing, absolutely enamoured, at Eren as he basked in euphoria.</p><p><br/>
*</p><p><br/>
The little coral orbs lay in a cluster, cuddling up to the plinth that the couple’s pearl rested ceremoniously on.</p><p><br/>
“Do you think it’s at all possible that they’ll grow?” Eren whispered, captivating by just looking at the eggs, watching them shimmer in the low light.</p><p>Levi moved closer to him until they were once again pressed up against each other in a warm embrace.</p><p><br/>
“Honestly, I don’t know.” He formed his words carefully. “No matter what happens, my life will be perfect for as long as I’m with you.” He knew that Eren was hoping the eggs would mature and they could have children, and inwardly he shared that hope. No matter how much he wanted them to have children though, his mate would always come first, and at that moment he wanted to reassure Eren that if it didn’t work out then nothing would change between them. He wouldn’t be disappointed in him. He never could be.</p><p><br/>
“I couldn’t ask to be happier than I am right now.” He put an arm around the scallop’s shell and gently pulled him towards their bedroom. “You should get some more rest.”</p><p><br/>
Eren resisted.</p><p><br/>
“I’d like to stay here.” His eyes never left the eggs. “I know you’re worried that I’ll end up being let down, but I want to watch them. I have to.” Levi could do nothing to argue with instincts and so let go. Eren sat on the large, smooth rock nearest to the eggs and Levi followed, nestling into him.</p><p><br/>
Together they ensured that the eggs were never left alone, with Levi going out to get soft sea grass and weave a blanket to keep them warm and Eren only agreeing to tear himself away to feed when he knew that Levi was protecting them. They slept right by them every night so that absolutely nothing could disturb their precious roe.</p><p><br/>
They kept up this routine for days, their hope fading with each new dawn until one night Levi was awoken by a hurried nudge from Eren.</p><p><br/>
“Look,” he whispered, gazing at one of the little spheres with wonderment.</p><p><br/>
Levi blinked to clear his hazy eyes before following Eren’s line of vision. His breath hitched as he saw it.</p><p><br/>
One of the eggs was moving.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Happy Valentine's Day!</p><p>The amount of research that went into this is horrific and sticking to the naming format for this series was a mistake. </p><p>It's as biologically accurate as possible (and thank god this particular species of hermit crab doesn't swap shells as part of their mating ritual). I would like to hold Fluffyboots completely accountable for this despite making the conscious choice myself to write it.</p><p>I hope it was all you've ever wanted and more!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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